Creating & Claiming Stations
Waves Radio works to bring active radio streams to listeners in Zambia. To facilitate discovery, some radio stations are pre-loaded on the platform using publicly available streaming links. If you are a broadcaster or station manager, you can easily register a new station or claim ownership of an existing listed station.
Claiming an Existing Station
If your station is already listed on Waves Radio but is currently unmanaged, you can claim it to unlock administrative controls (weekly scheduling, roster management, news, podcasts, and chatrooms):
- Log in to the Waves Radio app with your standard user account.
- Find and click on your station's profile in the directory, and select the "Claim this station" button under the contact card.
- In the **Claim Station Modal**, complete your registration information:
- Contact Name & Position: Your full name and official title at the station (e.g., *Technical Director*, *Station Manager*).
- Contact Details: Your active business email address and phone number.
- Proof of Association: Upload a verification document (PDF or image showing license from ZICTA/IBA, authorization letter, or official ID).
- Submit the claim. Our Super Admin team will review your proof of association and approve your manager status, usually within 24 hours. Once approved, the station will be linked to your user account under the **Admin Portal**.
Registering a New Radio Station
If your radio station is not currently listed in the Waves Radio directory, you can submit a new station profile request for creation. Provide the station name, streaming link, province, and logo graphic. Once approved by the moderation team, it will appear on the platform and you will be assigned as its primary Station Manager.
Station Profile Settings
As a Station Manager, your administrative dashboard allows you to control the public details, audio configurations, and contacts of your radio station.
General Station Profile
Navigate to Station Settings > General Settings to configure your public station identity:
- Station Name: The main name listed across the application directory.
- Station Logo: High-resolution square logo image. The logo will represent your station in list cards, status updates, and audio player overlays.
- Description: A descriptive summary (up to 500 characters) outlining your broadcasting style and program highlights.
- Location tags: Select the official Zambian Province and District where your station is based to help listeners filter and discover local stations.
- Genre Classifications: Tag your station with defined genres (e.g., Afro Music, New Wave, Zambian, News & Talk, Religious, etc.) to target specific audiences.
Audio Streaming Integration
To connect your radio broadcast to the Waves Radio app player, input your server's streaming link (compatible formats: Icecast, ZenoFM, Shoutcast, or direct raw MP3/AAC streams).
Contact & Social Profiles
Promote advertiser reach and user engagement by keeping your contact methods updated: physical address, official email, phone number, website link, and social media links (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube).
Billing & Subscription Plans
Station features and quotas are determined by your active subscription plan. Upgrades and billing cycles are managed directly in the station dashboard.
Waves Radio Subscription Tiers
- Free Plan (K0): Best for small setups. Includes profile creation, logo upload, and news article publishing. DJ roster limits and scheduling features are locked.
- Standard Plan (K199/month or K2000/year): Register up to 5 DJs, post news updates, publish listener polls and music charts, create up to 5 fan club chat communities, and access listener metrics.
- Premium Plan (K299/month or K3000/year): Everything in Standard, plus weekly program scheduling, podcast shows & uploads, up to 10 fan club chat communities, and unlimited DJ slots.
Secure Mobile Money Payments
Waves Radio partners with Lenco to process mobile money payments in Zambia. Choose your plan and billing cycle (Monthly or Yearly), select your operator (MTN, Airtel, or Zamtel), enter your wallet number, and authorize the push notification checkout prompt on your phone.
Payment Receipts
All successful transactions generate a download option for a professional payment receipt PDF. Receipts include billing addresses, payment dates, subscription validity dates, and unique transaction references.
DJs & Presenters Roster
Station Managers control who has access to broadcast, manage playlists, and update the live status of the station by adding members to their DJ Roster.
Adding and Inviting DJs
- Navigate to the DJs & Presenters management tab.
- In the search box, type the registered name or email address of the user you want to link.
- Select the correct user profile from the autocomplete dropdown list.
- Set a custom DJ/Presenter name, upload a custom profile avatar, select their music genres, and add a brief presenter biography.
- Save the profile to immediately link the user's account to your station dashboard.
DJ Limits
If you are on the Standard Plan, you will be blocked from adding a 6th DJ unless you downgrade existing ones or upgrade to the Premium Plan (which supports unlimited DJs).
Program Weekly Scheduling
Publish a calendar-based weekly timetable of your programming schedule on your public page so listeners know when to tune in.
Adding Scheduled Shows
- Click the Add Program button in the schedule tab (requires Premium plan).
- Enter a program title and description.
- Assign a presenter from your linked DJs dropdown (or type in a Special Guest name manually).
- Select the day of the week, start time, and end time in 24-hour format.
- Upload a custom cover graphic (optional).
- Save the program. It will instantly show on your public station timetable.
Special Event Highlighting
Check the Special Program box to tag the slot as a one-off special. This adds a highlighted "Special" badge on the calendar grid, highlighting the show to your listeners.
Fan Clubs & Communities
Engage your audience by creating active chatrooms and forums right inside your station's profile.
Creating a Fan Club
- Name & Description: Define a distinct focus (e.g. "Breakfast Show Club") and community rules.
- Join Mode: Select Open Access for immediate entries, or Requires Approval to manually screen member requests before they join the room.
- Data Collection: Choose what user details must be shared on join (Name is always shared; optional fields include phone, district, area, sex, and age/DOB).
Auditing Members
Station Managers can open the Members viewer to analyze structured demographic tables of active community members (displaying sex, location, age, email, and phone numbers based on your collection rules) to better tailor your marketing.
DJ Live Console
The DJ Live Console is the control hub for active presenters to toggle stream statuses, manage playlists, and communicate with station listeners.
Going On Air
- Access the **Live Console** from your admin dashboard.
- Click the primary Go Live On Air button.
- A modal will prompt you to input your session start time and end time.
- Confirm. The station's status on the platform will change to **Live** and your DJ profile will display as the active host.
Posting Status Updates
DJs can share short status updates (up to 150 characters) to keep users informed about active themes, guests, or song selections. These updates show up instantly on the station's main feed.
Posting Special Announcements
Publish longer news or announcements (up to 500 characters) directly from the console. You can upload an optional square graphic to make the announcement stand out on user feeds.
Live Playlist Manager
Keep your listeners up to date with real-time song data. The Live Playlist Manager is visible in your console whenever you are on air.
Managing the Playlist
- Adding Tracks: Input the Song Title and Artist Name in the form. The track will be added to the live queue list.
- Track Display: The active playlist is rendered on listener screens in real-time, displaying exactly what is playing.
- Queue Cleanup: Remove individual tracks using the delete icon, or clear the entire playlist once your shift is complete.
Fan Chat Engagement
DJs can communicate directly with station fan clubs without leaving the dashboard console.
Direct Engagement Flow
- Your active **Communities** list is visible on the dashboard, displaying member counts.
- Use the quick input field under any fan club to post messages directly to the community chat room.
- Engage in real-time, answer questions, or request song votes directly from listener chats.
News & Podcasts
DJs have full publishing access to post news articles and manage podcast episodes for the station.
Publishing News Articles
Navigate to News Articles > Write Article. Choose a category (e.g. Politics, Sports, Entertainment), insert your title, upload a featured banner image, input your article body, and link an optional source reference.
Uploading Podcasts
Select your Podcast Series and click Add Episode:
- Upload your audio file. The client-side player will automatically read the audio metadata and format the duration time.
- Set episode title, episode number, description, and cover image.
- Optionally add a YouTube video URL for video podcasts.
Advertiser Business Profile
Businesses can create verified Advertiser Profiles to publish self-service ads and manage campaigns directly on Waves Radio.
Business Registration
- Access the Advertise portal using a standard user account.
- Complete the business details form: Business Name, SME/Corporate Classification, Presence Types (Online Store or Physical Retail), address location, phone number, and official website / socials.
- Submit. Your profile will be reviewed by system admins, who will authorize your business for active campaign publishing.
Ad Credits Wallet
The platform uses a prepaid credit wallet system. Advertisers buy credits to fund their campaigns, and any cancelled budget is returned as credits.
Replenishing Wallet Balance
Click **Add Funds** on your Credits card. Choose an amount (e.g. K100, K500), select your mobile money operator (MTN, Airtel, Zamtel), input your number, and verify the checkout payment on your device.
Automated Budget Refunds
If you delete an active or scheduled campaign before its expiration date, the remaining budget is calculated automatically based on remaining time and refunded as **Ad Credits** directly to your wallet. Cash withdrawals are not supported.
Invoice Receipts
Download billing receipts in PDF format for all top-ups and campaigns directly from the payment history list.
Creating Ad Campaigns
Create visual display ads to target listeners across the app. Ad campaigns are paid daily using your credit balance.
Graphic Ad Image specifications
When creating a campaign, upload your banner graphic. The app automatically crops the graphic to a perfect **4:2 ratio (800x400 px)** from the center before uploading, ensuring high-quality scaling on mobile screens.
Ad Placements & Pricing
- Header Banners (K3 / day): High-visibility placements displayed at the top of the Station Status, News Header, Forums Header, and Station Browser pages.
- List Feeds (K1 / day): Native display ads integrated inside listings on the Station, News, and Forum lists.
Scheduling Campaigns
Set a Campaign Name, Target URL, placements, Start Date, and optional End Date. The system calculates the total days and locks the required credits from your wallet.
Analytics & Reruns
Track the efficiency of your campaigns and replicate successful promotions in seconds.
Real-Time Campaign Analytics
Click on the **Analytics** icon under any active or expired campaign to view metrics:
- Impressions: The total count of times listeners loaded pages displaying your ad.
- Clicks: The count of times users clicked your ad banner.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): The click-to-impression ratio indicating customer engagement.
Rerunning Campaigns
To rerun an expired campaign, click the **Rerun** button. The system duplicates settings, dates, and images, and deducts the required credits from your wallet to start the campaign again immediately.